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Two Wonderful Young Men

Andrew has been our weekend cook for some time.

Andrew and Will have both been helping around here their entire lives.  The level of help has grown as they have, and both of them are now an integral part of the Carolines staff.

Andrew has been our cook, among many other jobs over the years.  At the end of this week Andrew will leave for a job in the US Forest Service, so it seems like a good time to say: thank you for all of your help over the years.

Will is still an active member of the Carolines team.  He refills our bulk coffees at the SPD Markets twice a week and he is in charge of the regular cleaning of the coffee roaster.  Coffee oils plus high temperature leads to quite a baked on product, so this is cleaning that involves a chisel.

Will is responsible for cleaning the roaster, among his many jobs around here.

Both boys are hardworking and wonderful young men.  We know you will both be successful in whatever you choose to do in life.  Thank you for all the time you have put in here!

 

 


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Weekly Newsletter: The End of April and Brazilian Cerrado

Our pound-of-coffee-a-day giveaway is coming to an end as the month of April winds down.  There are three more spots to fill on our poster of winners, so if you haven’t won yet, you still have a chance!  The next two days will be internet contests, and Monday there’s one more opportunity to be the customer of the day!

In honor of our thirtieth anniversary we’ve also created a customer appreciation gift basket–read on below to discover how you can win it!

Three Winners Remain!

It’s not all games and giveaways around here: we’ve still got a coffee of the week for you.  The seasons may be changing–the header photo is of the dogwood blossoms in my backyard–but coffee is good in any weather.  Today’s coffee is our Brazilian Cerrado.  It comes from the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, an area in the southeast of the country.

If it seems like we feature Brazilian coffees regularly, that’s because a lot of coffee is grown in the fifth largest country in the world.  Most of the coffee is not up to our standards: it’s mass produced or of a lower grade than we buy.  There’s a lot of robusta in Brazil, and we carry exclusively arabica coffees.  But the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association, which you can find online here, has been working hard to improve and promote gourmet coffee in Brazil, and this Cerrado is one of them.

This is a full-bodied and nutty bean: a good way to begin your day if you prefer the higher caffeine content of a light roast.  It’s easy to drink, without much acidity.  If you have not tried our Brazilian in the past, sign-up for our e-mail newsletter (on our Facebook page or our website) to get a coupon for a free cup.  Then tell us what you think on our Facebook page, or leave a comment on this blog.  We always love to hear from you!

In appreciation of all of you . . . 

We’ve got one final chance for you to win.  There would be no Carolines Coffee Roasters if you weren’t supporting us and drinking our coffee.  We want to be sure you know how grateful we are to you, our customers (just in case the chance to win a free pound of coffee every day this month wasn’t enough).

Customer Appreciation Gift Basket

This gift basket is our final thank you to all of you in appreciation of our success for the last thirty years.  We’ve included two logo’d mugs, three pounds of coffee, a pancake mix, some tea, and various and assorted cookies and chocolates.

To win the gift basket, go to our Facebook page on Monday and leave a comment on this photograph.  On May 1st we’ll announce the winner–it’s that easy!

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Grass Valley Car Show

It’s the car show this weekend!  This is a great event in Grass Valley, with over 350 cars lining the streets of downtown.  It has been my experience that it is a very family-friendly event, and my kids LOVE to walk around the car show.  Owners have even been so nice as to let them sit in their cars for a picture.

Becky, our manager, and Mike, our deliveryman, like to pick out dream cars as a potential delivery vehicle.  Don’t you think your coffee would taste better if it were delivered in a vintage convertible?  Or perhaps a classic truck?

I’d tell you more about the event, but I’m sure to give away my ignorance of technical car terms soon.  So I’ll conclude with the information of which I am certain: it’s this Saturday, from 10 am to 3 pm, and it’s a blast!  If you need more information, check out the official downtown Grass Valley website here.

Many thanks to Julia Jordan, GVDA Executive Director, for the fabulous image of the Car Show Poster!

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Weekly Newsletter: Papua New Guinea

Oh my, it’s starting to feel like summer might actually be around the corner.  There’s a Bruce Springsteen song with the line “girls in their summer clothes,” and that’s the sight around here today.  People are sporting bright colors and ordering iced drinks.  It’s hard to believe that a week ago today it was snowing in downtown Grass Valley!

 

This week’s coffee hails from Papua New Guinea.  I’ve never been there, but I know a lot about the country, because this is where my mother currently lives.  She’s teaching kindergarten in Papua New Guinea, and even my young children can identify where Grandma Jo lives on a globe.

 

For those of you who have no idea where Papua New Guinea is located, it lies north of Australia, at the eastern side of the Indonesian archipelago.  It is a culturally and geographically diverse island, with a tropical climate perfect for growing coffee.  The extreme topography which has preserved hundreds of regional languages and people groups makes processing and exporting coffee quite difficult, and we do not often have the opportunity to buy coffee from PNG.

This Papua New Guinea coffee is different from the peaberry we offered last year, although it too is roasted light.  The aroma is lightly earthy and the taste is quite smooth with fruity tones and a light body.  Most of our coffees from the south Pacific are more full-bodied, so this one has a unique flavor.

Our pound-of-coffee-a-day-giveaway (that has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) continues until the end of this month.  We’re considering giving away a larger item on the last day of the month, so stay tuned for all the details next week.  Enjoy!
This Week: $12.99
List Price: $13.99
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New Chocolate Shipment

We just received a shipment from Dick Taylor Craft Chocolates.  They’re a small company out of Arcata, California making organic, hand-crafted chocolate bars.  You can read more on their website here.  The batch we just  got in contains an 74% single origin Dominican Republic bar, a 70% Ecuador bar, a Fleur de Sel (I love salt and chocolate!), and one new to us: a black fig bar.

Since figs won’t be in season around here for another few months, I can’t wait to dream of summer while sampling the black fig bar.  It sounds like the perfect accompaniment to our Organic Ethiopian Harrar, which has a lot of berry and fruit notes to it.  Or perhaps a glass of California Zinfandel in the evening?  Whatever your drink, you can obtain the chocolate at our store!

Black fig dark chocolate? Don't mind if I do!

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Have you ever worked at Carolines?

We’re looking for all current and former staff for a group picture tomorrow!  I know, it’s last minute notice, but if you can make it, we’d love to have you in the picture.  It will be at 11 am tomorrow, that’s on Monday, April 16th!  We’ll buy you a drink if you can make it!Image

Were you in this picture from 2003?  Show up tomorrow to be in an updated shot!

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Weekly Newsletter: Tanzanian Peaberry

Front of Store 1984

 

Oh my we’ve had fun in the last two weeks looking through old pictures of the store!  The photo above was taken at Christmastime in 1984.  The decor doesn’t seem out of place given the six inches of snow that were in my driveway this morning!  Apparently winter decided to arrive in March and April this year.

Peaberry ComparisonThis week’s coffee of the week is a favorite of many of you, so if you were missing it for the last few weeks, you’ll be glad to know that the Tanzanian Peaberry has arrived!  For the record, I do think that the best thing about this coffee is being able to write that it is grown on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  I mean, how exotic does that sound?

I’ve never been to Africa, and I only know about coffee production there from what I’ve read, and from documentaries I’ve seen–and I do realize that there’s not much romantic about farming coffee (except maybe the scent of the blooming flowers).  But when you get to include the highest mountain on a continent in your description, it makes the geography that much more vivid.
We’ve talked about the definition of a peaberry bean before, so if you’re firm on the concept, you can skip ahead to the next paragraph.  For those of you still with me, a peaberry bean occurs when only one seed forms inside a coffee cherry, instead of the usual two.  A peaberry is more rounded, and much smaller.  Perhaps for this reason, they tend to be higher in caffeine than most other coffees, and they lack the flat side of a regular bean.

This Tanzanian Peaberry is really easy to drink, so watch out for the caffeine jolt!  It has bright citrus notes, but more body than many African coffees.

–Holly Fike
 
Tanzanian Peaberry 
This week: $14.99
List Price: $15.99
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Coffee Crate Giveaway!

Welcome to the Carolines Coffee Roasters blog.  If you’re new to us, you should know that we’re passionate about providing you with the best coffees in the world!

We are currently in the midst of celebrating thirty years of being in business, and we’re spending the month of April giving away a pound of coffee a day as a thank you to our customers for our longevity.

Today we’ve got a bonus giveaway, courtesy of The Outside Inn.  This is a Carolines coffee crate, with three bags of coffee, two logo’d mugs, and fun accessories created by Erin from Outside Inn.  There’s a greeting card and a bookmark too, which you can see on the Outside Inn blog here.Coffee Crate

To win this crate you need to go to our Facebook page and leave a comment on this picture.  The winner will be chosen on next Wednesday, April 18th, by the random number generator, so get on over there and leave a comment!

We’re looking forward to sharing more about coffee with you in this space: and remember, you could also be the winner of a free pound of coffee just by stopping by our store any day this month.

–Holly Fike

Postscript: If you don’t get our e-mail newsletters, and you don’t know the details of our free pound of coffee giveaway for April, read on.  On weekdays throughout the month we’re choosing a number via the random number generator, and when that customer comes through the doors, they win a free pound of coffee.  On weekends, we’re giving those of you from out-of-town a chance to win also.  Each Saturday and Sunday you can leave a post on our Facebook page to win the free pound of coffee.  We’ve had thirteen winners to date, and we’re looking forward to continuing the rest of the month!

Posted in Giveaway, Thirtieth Anniversary | Tagged , , | 2 Comments




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530 273-6424 | 800 600-6424

 map-marker Carolines Coffee Roasters
128 S. Auburn St.
Grass Valley, CA 95945
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Saturday-Sunday: 7am-5:30pm 

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